By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
It was the puff that was heard around the world. And in space.
When SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took a drag off a blunt during a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the repercussions from that single action weren’t likely anticipated in the moment.
But two months later, NASA says they will be conducting an invasive workplace culture review of SpaceX and Boeing in 2019 to assess their drug policies in practice as well as anything else that could impact safety. The Washington Post reports that NASA officials were upset that Musk had violated drug policies and ordered the probe to examine company culture.
SpaceX and Boeing are contracted with NASA for a variety of space-based missions which include supply runs to the International Space Station, and construction of the new CST-100 Starliner pod and Crew Dragon spacecraft.
“Human spaceflight is the core mission of our company,” said SpaceX in a statement. “There is nothing more important to SpaceX than this endeavor, and we take seriously the responsibility that NASA has entrusted in us to safely and reliably carry American astronauts to and from the International Space Station.”
According to Forbes, Boeing had not been notified of the investigation as of Tuesday, but a spokesperson for the corporation stated that they were confident NASA would find everything in order.
“The culture at Boeing ensures the integrity, safety and quality of our products, our people and their work environment,” said a Boeing spokesperson in a statement. “As NASA’s trusted partner since the beginning of human spaceflight, we share the same values and are committed to continuing our legacy of trust, openness and mission success,”
Boeing and SpaceX are working to restore the United States’ capacity for manned space travel which has been in limbo after the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Currently, the Russian Soyuz spacecraft is the only option for ISS-bound astronauts and comes with an $80 million price tag per seat.
